Trump urges Christians to vote, says they won't have to again if he wins 2024 election
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump implored Christians attending a summit hosted by the conservative group Turning Point Action to vote in November, saying they wouldn’t have to cast a ballot again if he wins the presidency because “it’ll be fixed.”
“I don't care how, but you have to get out and vote,” Trump told the crowd at Turning Point Action’s Believer’s Summit. “Christians get out and vote. Just this time. You won't have to do it anymore.”
“In four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed. It’ll be fine. You won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians,” Trump added during his 70-minute long speech. “We'll have it fixed so good. You're not going to have to vote.”
He delivered the comments during a keynote speech at Turning Point Action’s Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla. The event was aimed at “empowering attendees with practical knowledge and strategies to live out their faith boldly and counteract the prevailing 'woke' narratives with grace, truth, and conviction, rooted in the Gospel,” according to the group’s website.
Politically conservative Christian voters are a key segment of Trump’s base that he must turnout in order to prevail in November’s election.
Recent polls published since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race show Trump’s lead in the race slipping. He is now neck-and-neck with likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt against him, Trump has also emerged as an unlikely spiritual figurehead. During a speech at the Republican National Convention in mid-July, Trump said he felt like he had God on his side as bullets whizzed by, coming within inches of killing him.
If he wins the 2024 election, Trump won’t be able to run for the presidency again. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents presidents from serving more than twice.
But the GOP presidential nominee also has a history of using authoritarian rhetoric on the campaign trail. In December, he suggested that he would be a dictator for “one day” if elected again.
At a rally in Michigan last weekend, Trump hailed Xi Jinping of China as a “brilliant man” for ruling “with an iron fist” over the countries 1.4 billion people. He also praised Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Russia’s Vladimir Putin as “tough” and “smart” leaders.
Trump is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The ex-president has spread false claims that widespread voter fraud led him to lose the race to President Joe Biden. There is no evidence to back the claims.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump tells Christians to vote, says they won't have to again if he wins
